The School Bus Pass – The Key Reason Why There Are All Kinds Of Discussions Because Of Them
A week ago I had written about how much money it was plausible to save if you take public transportation. Since that time, I have realized that there are a many assorted selections for student bus passes across the nation. The example I used of the pass in Winnipeg ended up being roughly average, so that\’s fine as far as the comparison proceeded to go; however, after finding out about the different options around Canada I thought it could be helpful to make note of the differences.
Perhaps the most debatable aspect of student bus passes in Canada is the capability of a majority of students on some campuses to make the passes mandatory. Universities which includes the University of Ottawa, the University of Victoria, Saint Mary\’s University, and the University of Western Ontario have organized student referendums where students elected to add bus passes together with their entire tuition and student user fees. At Ottawa this contributed to a law suit by 9 students against the University because they felt discriminated against.
Naturally this predicament has some advantages and disadvantages. The very low cost of public transportation for people who use it is an unquestionable bonus. On those campuses the cost was lowered to close to a hundred dollars flat for the year! This is very likely because of the increased volume of sales. The fact that students are forced to get passes would certainly also improve the overall usage rates. This has great spin-off environmental effects, as well as the previously mentioned financial ones.
Personally, the disadvantages are far more prevalent to me. During my time at the University of Manitoba there was a referendum on whether to put together a compulsory package for public transportation to be supported by all students. I simply can\’t get past the fact that it shouldn\’t be considered fair for a negligible majority of students to trample the rights of a huge minority and take money out of their wallets to subsidize their preferred form of transportation. If I remember correctly, there was presently a percentage of the money used from parking service fees to help counteract student bus pass costs. This is still a hard sell for me regardless of the environmental benefits. Not surprisingly as a car owner I am definitely bias.
My distaste for certain aspects of public transportation is very likely a result of the Winnipeg pubic transit system. It doesn\’t matter how much money I was saving I couldn\’t rationalize the constant waste of time. The schedules were never ever correct, the constant disrespect of passengers, and the lousy weather aspect of life in Winnipeg, was more than enough to inspire me to get my own car.
If I had went to school in British Columbia I might have a very different view of student bus passes. After a opinion from a local pertaining to her public transportation experience, I checked out the Vancouver area possibilities. I was blown away by the great deal they got and the fact it was not subsidized by other students (this means it doesn\’t penalize the students that walk, bike, or drive to school). The U-Pass (universal pass) is available to post-secondary students for the low price of $30 a month. The wonderful part of the deal is that this doesn\’t solely cover the bus, but the Seabus and SkyTrain services as well! With such a complete variety of options I would presume there is a great deal of success with the program presently there.
In comparison, Winnipeg charges over $70 per month for its poor patchwork of buses. Other monthly public transportation rates for students include $89 for a metro pass in Toronto, $41 in Montreal for a combined metro and bus pass, $71 for a student bus pass in Saskatoon, and Calgary didn\’t actually have a student rate from the information I was able to see on their web page. The basic adult rate there for a regular bus pass is $90.
One other thing for people (not just students) who use bus passes should be aware of is the non-refundable tax credit available. For some people you may get a pretty good idea of how much money you should receive on your taxes by multiplying the annual price of your bus passes by .15 (15%). This is a great little reward incentive for people who are already financially and environmentally mindful enough to use public transportation.
Obtaining a Student Bus Pass is a popular way to save money when going to school. Student public transportation is highly important to any university aiming to make a subsidised program to their students.
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